Santo Antonio

Santo Antonio is the main settlement of Príncipe island in São Tomé and Príncipe. The town was founded by Portugal in 1502, and it was named for the date on which the island was discovered, 17 January 1472, Saint Anthony's Day. From August to October 1598 and from 1641 to 1644, the United Provinces occupied the settlement during the Dutch Revolt, and the Portuguese responded by building the fortress of Fortaleza de San Antonio da Ponta da Mina in 1695. In 1719, the pirate captain Bartholomew Roberts raided the island and destroyed the fortress and the town as revenge for the Portuguese governor's killing of Captain Howell Davis in an ambush. From 1753 to 1852, Santo Antonio served as the capital of São Tomé and Príncipe, but São Tomé would go on to replace it. In 2013, the town had a population of 1,357 people.